1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to environmental condition detection for dwellings including smoke detection, carbon monoxide gas detection, natural gas detection, propane gas detection, combination smoke and carbon monoxide gas detection, etc. such that the audible tonal pattern alarm emitted by a detector sensing an abnormal environmental condition is accompanied by a pre-recorded voice message that clearly indicates the specific type of condition sensed or the specific location of the detector sensing the condition, or both.
2. Background
With the widespread use of environmental condition detectors such as smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, natural gas detectors, propane detectors, etc. in residences and businesses today, there is a critical need to provide definite distinction between the tonal pattern alarms emitted by each type of detector so that the occupants of the involved dwelling are immediately made aware of the specific type of condition detected along with its location so they can take the proper immediate action. Regulating and governing bodies for products of the home safety industry (National Fire Protection Association, Underwriters Laboratories, etc.) have recently regulated the tonal patterns emitted from such environmental detectors, however, much confusion still exists among the very similar tonal pattern alarms emitted by various detector types. This is particularly true for those individuals partially overcome by the environmental condition, those asleep when the alarm occurs, young children, or the elderly. Therefore, a need exists whereby the environmental detector sensing an abnormal condition plays a recorded voice message stating the specific condition and/or location of the condition in addition to the required tonal pattern alarm. In conventional smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, there are silent periods within the prescribed audible tonal pattern alarms where recorded verbal messages such as "smoke" or "CO" or "carbon monoxide" or "smoke in basement" or "utility room" (as examples) may be played during this alarm silence period to clearly discriminate between the types of audible alarms and environmental conditions and where the environmental condition was detected. Such messages immediately provide the occupants in an involved dwelling important safety information during potentially hazardous environmental conditions. The occupants can make informed decisions about how to respond to the alarm condition. Occupants residing in the uninvolved area of the dwelling may choose to assist those residing in the involved area depending on the location and type of condition detected. The type of environmental condition sensed or the location of the condition, or both are immediately made clear through the use of recorded voice messages in addition to conventional tonal pattern alarms.
3. Discussion of Prior Art
While there are inventions in the prior art pertaining to emergency alarm systems utilizing verbal instructions, none are known to the inventor which use a combination of tonal pattern alarms and factory pre-recorded voice messages with function or intent to clearly and specifically identify and clarify which type of environmental condition is present in a dwelling. Nor are there known inventions that use such pre-recorded voice messages to specifically identify the location of the environmental condition sensed by environmental condition detectors in dwellings without the use of a central control unit.
Morris (U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,705) describes a wireless smoke detector system using a minimum of two smoke detectors to indicate the location of the smoke detector sensing the smoke through coded alarm patterns. The present invention does not use wireless communication between detectors; each detector may operate without any others or may operate as a hardwired system with interconnected units for those powered by 120 VAC. Fray (U.S. Pat No. 5,663,714) describes a warning system for giving user-recorded verbal instructions during a fire. Fray teaches an object of his invention is to warn individuals of the presence of smoke and fire and to provide verbal instructions and guidance as how to escape the hazard. Routman et al (U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,338) describe a fire detector and alarm system that uses personally familiar user-recorded verbal messages specifically for a small child or adult in need of verbal instructions during the presence of a fire. Chiang (U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,183) describes a multi-functional alarming system using a microphone to sense ambient conditions and user-recorded verbal instructions for indicating the way to escape a fire. Kim (U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,809) describes a speaking fire alarm system that uses a central control system with remote temperature sensors. Haglund et al (U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,519) describe a hardwired smoke detector system whereby two audible alarm codes are indicated to determine whether the smoke was detected locally or not. Only two possible alarm patterns are used and no voice message is used with Haglund's hardwired system. Molinick and Sheilds (U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,789) describe an oral warning system for monitoring mining operations that uses a plurality of non-emergency condition sensors and second sensors for detecting emergencies. The patent further describes the use of a single and system-central multiple-track magnetic tape player for storing the verbal messages and links the alarm system to control the operation of mechanical devices (mining conveyor belts, etc.) during emergency conditions when verbal messages are played.
Additionally, Morris (U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,705), Fray (U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,714), Routman et al (U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,338), Chaing (U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,183), Kim (U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,809), and Haglund et al (U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,519) do not recite the specific use of factory pre-recorded voice messages to indicate the specific location of the environmental condition, or the use of voice messages to identify the specific type of environmental condition detected, or the use of a plurality of interconnected detectors emitting identical verbal messages, or a selectable means to define the installation location of the detector, all of which are taught in the present invention and afford significant safety advantages. While Molinick and Shields (U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,789) refer to verbally describing an emergency condition in mining operations, their patent teaches of a much more complex system than the present invention and describes a central control system with multiple stages of various configuration sensors and the use of user-recorded voice messages. Furthermore, the patent does not describe a selectable coding means to define the installation location of the sensors.
All known prior art providing user-recorded verbal instructions on how to escape a hazardous condition has become impractical for use in dwellings in view of the recent National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL,) regulations that require a maximum silence period between tonal alarm patterns of 1.5 seconds (Ref UL2034, UL217, NFPA72 and NFPA720). This period of time is sufficient for the present invention to verbally indicate the type and location of the sensed environmental condition but is unlikely to be useful to provide detailed instructions, as taught in the prior art, to occupants on how to respond to a hazardous condition.
The present invention employs either single station environmental condition detectors or a system comprising direct, hardwired communication links between a plurality of environmental condition detectors to provide a tonal pattern alarm with pre-recorded voice message information regarding the specific type of environmental condition detected or the specific location of the detector sensing the environmental condition, or both, all without the need of a centralized control unit. For detector embodiments using pre-recorded voice messages to indicate the location of the detected condition, each detector is set-up by the user during installation to define the physical location of the detector within the dwelling according to pre-defined location definitions pre-programmed into the electronic storage media. The recorded voice messages are pre-recorded into the electronic storage media during manufacture and are not normally changeable by the user. In view of the recent National Fire Protection Association and Underwriters Laboratories regulations for tonal pattern alarms, it is not practical to have the user record their own sounds during the silent periods of the tonal pattern. The user may choose to record other alarm sounds that would violate the regulations governing such tonal patterns and compromise the safety features of the device. The use of factory pre-recorded voice messages alleviates this problem.
It is emphasized that no other related prior art known to the inventor makes use of factory pre-recorded voice messages to indicate the location of the environmental condition or the type of condition or both. Sufficient addressable electronic memory is available in the preferred embodiment of the invention to afford numerous pre-recorded voice messages.